Hello, Ecologists. Here is a summary of the contents of vol. 43 no. 4 (2009) of the quarterly journal Colorado Birds, published by Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO). (Additional perspective on the journal Colorado Birds available here: http://tiny.cc/NY7c7.)
* PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: CFO'S ORGANIZATION AND NEAR-TERM OBJECTIVES. * by JIM BEATTY. * pp. 236-237. * Thoughts on the evolution of CFO, including (a) identifying, developing, and promoting special areas of expertise for each CFO board member, (b) continuing to stay ahead of the electronic curve, a major strength of the organization, and (c) offering new and varied field trips and other field experiences for CFO members. * CFO BOARD MINUTES. * by LARRY MODESITT. * pp. 238-240. * Minutes of the August 22, 2009 meeting of the board of directors of CFO, including such highlights as (a) planning for an online reference to the birds of Colorado, (b) ongoing conversion into the electronic medium of the functioning of the state records committee, and (c) soliciting of applications for CFO's youth and scholarship funds. * ACROSS THE BOARD: MAGGIE BOSWELL. * by JIM BEATTY. * pp. 240-242. * The life and times of CFO board member and treasurer Maggie Boswell, who provides leadership and excellence in all matters regarding the finances of the organization, as well as major logistical support at annual conventions; a retired sign language interpreter, she now volunteers with AARP and is very active in the birding and natural history communities in Boulder County and elsewhere. * LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT: WARREN FINCH. * by JOE ROLLER. * pp. 242-244. * A tribute to Warren Finch, 2009 recipient of CFO's Lifetime Achievement Award; a famous scientist known worldwide for his prolific work on nuclear materials and resources during a 60-year career with the U.S. Geological Survey, he is best known among Colorado's field ornithologists as an indefatigable field birder, still going strong as he approaches his tenth decade of life. * CFO YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP: CAMP CASCADES. * by MARCEL SUCH. * pp. 245-247. * Reflections on a splendid two weeks at a Victor Emanuel Nature Tours young birders' camp in Washington state, highlighted by a "rampage" instigated by a Boreal Chickadee sighting; the author attended the camp as a CFO youth scholarship recipient. * FIELD TRIP REPORTS: SPRING 2009. * by JIM BEATTY and BILL KAEMPFER. * pp. 248-250. * Birding highlights from two CFO field trips; the trips, to private ranches in eastern Colorado, reflected CFO's leadership in developing enduring partnerships with Colorado's ranching community. The long list of rarities for the two field trips included Blue-headed Vireo, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Worm-eating Warbler. * BOOK REVIEW. * reviewed by JASON BEASON. * pp. 251-252. * Review of "Birding Hotspots of South-Central Colorado" (2009), by John J. Rawinski. The book tells you where to find birds in Colorado's immense and constantly amazing San Luis Valley. * OVENBIRDS OF WILLOW SPRINGS OPEN SPACE, JEFFERSON COUNTY. * by MIKE HENWOOD. * pp. 253-260. * A two-year field study of Ovenbirds in the Front Range foothills documented high densities of singing Ovenbirds; only five other bird species were as numerous in the study area as the Ovenbird. The results are consistent with recent anecdotal observations from elsewhere in the Front Range foothills, indicating a larger breeding population of Ovenbirds in Colorado than previously suspected. * UPLAND SANDPIPER: A REGULAR FALL MIGRANT TO THE FRONT RANGE REGION? * by TED FLOYD. * pp. 261-267. * Documentation of Upland Sandpipers on nocturnal migration over Boulder County, July-August 2009, and speculation that the species may be a regular migrant through Front Range airspace, contrary to conventional wisdom and despite the extreme paucity of earlier records for the region. * THE 52nd REPORT OF THE CBRC. * by LAWRENCE S. SEMO. * pp. 268-281. * Evaluation of reports by 33 observers of 41 occurrences of 34 review-list species through mid-2009. Highlights include Colorado's first (and long-overdue) Acadian Flycatcher, bringing the state list to 489 species; the state's second Ross's Gull; and the state's fourth Ruff. * THE HUNGRY BIRDER: ESTES PARK. * by NATHAN PIEPLOW. * pp. 282-285. * An overview of where to eat in Estes Park, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and its millions of tourists. At Estes Park, it's slim pickin's for birders who want breakfast before sunrise, but the lunch and dinner options--notably DeLeo's famous deli--are ample and diverse around town. As to warm, brown, liquid stimulants, the coffeaphobic author has little to report. * NEWS FROM THE FIELD: SPRING 2009. * by BILL MAYNARD. * pp. 285-306. * Avian highlights in Colorado, March-May 2009, among them Eurasian Wigeon, "Mexican" Duck, 2 Brown Pelicans, Neotropic Cormorant, Swallow-tailed Kite, Harris's Hawk, Black-headed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Lesser Nighthawk, Acadian Flycatcher, 5 Vermilion Flycatchers, 4 Blue-headed Vireos, Wood Thrush, Brewster's Warbler, and Baird's Sparrow. * IN THE SCOPE: HORNED AND EARED GREBES. * by TONY LEUKERING. * pp. 306-310. * Methods for distinguishing Eared and Horned Grebes in Colorado, including differences in seasonal occurrence, molt timing, and head shape. Potentially challenging is the separation of formative (first-winter) Horned Grebes from basic (winter adult) Eared Grebes. For more information on the journal Colorado Birds, please visit the Colorado Birds webpage of the CFO website: http://tiny.cc/SkCNN. For more information on CFO, please visit the CFO homepage: http://tiny.cc/xySmh. ------------------------------- Ted Floyd Editor, Birding Check out Birding magazine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BirdingMagazine ------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: Unclutter your desktop. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/videos-tours.aspx?h=7sec&slideid=1&media=aero-shake-7second&listid=1&stop=1&ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_7secdemo:122009
